When We Were Very Young Deluxe Edition [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

A. A. Milne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2009

When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six complete the four-volume set of deluxe editions of the Milne and Shepard classic works. Like their companions, the Winnie-the-Pooh 80th Anniversary Edition and The House At Pooh Corner, these beautiful books feature a ribbon bookmark, a specially designed jacket with metallic ink and a peep-through window to the fullcolor case, and full-color artwork on cream-colored stock. The imaginative charm that has made Pooh the world’s most famous bear pervades the pages of Milne’s poetry, and Ernest H. Shepard’s witty and loving illustrations enhance these truly delightful gift editions.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A. A. Milne was born in 1882 in London. He was a playwright and a journalist, as well as a poet and storyteller. His childrenÂ’s books were inspired by his son, Christopher Robin. Milne died in 1956.

E. H. Shepard was born in 1879 in England. His pictures of the Pooh characters are based on real toys owned by Christopher Robin Milne. Shepard died in 1976.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Disobedience

James James
Morrison Morrison
Weatherby George Dupree
Took great
Care of his Mother,
Though he was only three.
James James Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he;
"You must never go down
to the end of the town,
if you don't go down with me."

James James
Morrison's Mother
Put on a golden gown.
James James Morrison's Mother
Drove to the end of the town.
James James Morrison's Mother
Said to herself, said she:
"I can get right down
to the end of the town
and be back in time for tea."

King John
Put up a notice,
"LOST or STOLEN or STRAYED!
JAMES JAMES MORRISON'S MOTHER
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MISLAID.
LAST SEEN
WANDERING VAGUELY:
QUITE OF HER OWN ACCORD,
SHE TRIED TO GET DOWN
TO THE END OF THE TOWN -
FORTY SHILLINGS REWARD!"

James James
Morrison Morrison
(Commonly known as Jim)
Told his
Other relations
Not to go blaming him.
James James
Said to his Mother,
"Mother," he said, said he:
"You must never go down to the end of the town
without consulting me."

James James
Morrison's mother
Hasn't been heard of since.
King John said he was sorry,
So did the Queen and Prince.
King John
(Somebody told me)
Said to a man he knew:
If people go down to the end of the town, well,
what can anyone do?"

(Now then, very softly)
J.J.
M.M.
W.G.Du P.
Took great
C/0 his M*****
Though he was only 3.
J.J. said to his M*****
"M*****," he said, said he:
"You-must-never-go-down-to-the-end-of-the-town-
if-you-don't-go-down-with-ME!"

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; Deluxe edition (September 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525479309
• ASIN: B00375LK68
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alan Alexander Milne was born in London on January 18, 1882, the third and youngest son of a schoolmaster. At age eleven, he won a scholarship to the Westminster School. He went on to attend Cambridge University and became the editor of the undergraduate paper, Granta. After graduating from Cambridge in 1903, Milne moved back to London with enough savings to live for one year. He was determined to become a writer. By 1906, he had been offered the position of Assistant Editor at Punch, a classic British humor magazine. He remained at Punch for the next eight years.
In 1913, Milne married Dorothy de Selincourt (known as Daphne) and moved to a house in London's Chelsea section. When World War I broke out, he enlisted in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, eventually serving in France. During his training period, he wrote his first play, Wurzel-Flummery, which was produced in London in 1917.

By 1919, having completed one book and several plays, Milne finally achieved financial independence. His play, Mr. Pim Passes By, previously staged in London, was produced by the Theatre Guild in New York City. It was as great a success there as it had been on the London stage. Milne was now well established as a witty and fashionable London playwright. In 1920, Christopher Robin Milne was born, an event that was to change the history of children's literature. In 1923, during a rainy holiday in Wales, Milne began work on a collection of verses for children. The result was When We Were Very Young, published in 1924.

Demand for Milne's whimsical work was overwhelming, and in 1926, he duplicated his earlier success with the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh. The sequel, The House at Pooh Corner, followed in 1927. Now We Are Six, another charming collection of verse, followed one year later. It was through these four books, all illustrated by the wonderfully talented Ernest H. Shepard, that Milne acquired a vast audience outside of the theater. In the years since their initial publication, interest in these books has grown and grown.

Milne continued to be a prolific essayist, novelist, and poet until his death in 1956.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This edition does not match product description in any way, April 30, 2011

By 

David Anaxagoras (Mission Viejo, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When We Were Very Young Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

The Product Description promises "these beautiful books feature a ribbon bookmark, a specially designed jacket with metallic ink and a peep-through window to the fullcolor case, and full-color artwork on cream-colored stock". What you get is NO bookmark, a regular dust jacket with no die-cut and no metallic ink, and white paper stock, not cream.

Also, if you spend any length of time actually reading this edition, you will quickly notice that the text appears to be very slightly blurred, as if this was printed on an old laser-printer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remembered pleasure, May 10, 2009

By 

P. Lewis "book lover" (Newcastle,UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When We Were Very Young Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

I bought the book as an Easter gift for my Grand-daughter, Natalie. My own children had it and we all enjoyed the poems so much that we can still recite them all these years later. I think it is an essential part of any child's library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like "A Child's Garden of Verses", February 9, 2011

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: When We Were Very Young Deluxe Edition (Hardcover)

Like "A Child's Garden of Verses," the Robert Louis Stevenson classic, A.A. Milnes' "When We Were Very Young," collects and reminds us of childhood bliss. However, unlike Stevenson, Milne has the whimsy of Edward Lear's limericks and verse. Milne captures the joy and gentleness of youth.

For example, Milne has a poem with a refrain:

Jonathon Jo

has a mouth like an 'O'

It is fun to say, and it almost means something. Another poem talks about halfway up and down the stairs, getting a child to see the difference and sameness of the situation, great for critical thinking.

If you want pure silly humor, go buy Silverstein, but for great writing and solid bedtime reading to teach your child wit and poetry, buy this tiny book. There's a good chance you will like it as well.

Anthony Trendl

http://anthonytrendl.blogspot.com